The Ninth Life
by ChildOfAsmodeus
Summary: Evangeline had always been what her kind considered a weak witch. Tasked with solving the mysterious death of her aunt, Eva is forced to leave her isolation and move to Forks, Washington to prove to her family that she is stronger than she was before. Unbeknownst to her, this choice has connected her to the path that will lead her to soulmate, and placed a target on her back...
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings: Language, disturbing descriptions, blood, mature themes.**

**I don't own anything except for my characters.**

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

"Shoo, cat! Ughh.."

Bella stood to the side, watching with an amused face as her father desperately tried warding off the large tabby cat that was stretched out along the hood of his cruiser. It merely blinked at him, and rolled over to expose the large, fluffy expanse of its belly. "There have been a lot more stray cats in town lately…"

Charlie finally just took the fat cat into his arms, his mustache twitching slightly as it melted against him and began to purr. "I know. They all look well fed and healthy, though, so it's strange. A couple guys at the station said they've seen a lot of them mousing around their houses, and they stopped having vermin trouble."

The tabby rolled around in his arms, rubbing his cheeks against Charlie's hand. He begrudgingly scratched its fuzzy head, his face softening.

"That's good, I mean… right?" Bella asked softly, face creasing with worry. "You don't think anyone would try to start trapping them or anything, do you?"

A frown crossed Charlie's face as he finally plopped the cat down on the ground and watched as it began to weave and hug around his legs, mewing loudly for attention. "Well, I know the Newton's never really cared for cats, his boy got in trouble for taking pot shots at some strays with his BB gun when he was little."

"Of course, he did," Bella muttered darkly, feeling the urge to roll her eyes.

Bella told her father good bye as they parted ways, she for school and he for work at the Police Station. The loud roar of her rust-bucket truck was almost comforting and made up for the lack of music in the cab.

The sleep clinging to her was finally starting to shake, as her eyes landed on the last house on her block. It was a tall, old Victorian era house. Many of the houses in Forks were old, but most were either falling apart or had been completely remodeled. This one, however, looked like it hadn't aged a day since it'd been built. Sure, there was chipped paint here and there, but otherwise it looked amazing.

Bella's eyes lingered on the moving crew bustling around the yard, carrying furniture into the house.

Her brows creased. Didn't the woman that lived there just pass away last week? Did someone already buy it?

As she stopped at the sign at the end of the street, her curious brown eyes fell upon a girl standing on the porch of the home. She had a glass of lemonade in her hand, and she was talking animatedly with several of the movers.

Her hair was the color of autumn. That was the best way for Bella describe it. A beautiful dark red with highlights of shades even darker and much lighter hues twisted within each strand, falling over her shoulders and down her back in thick ringlets and curls. She was pale, but that was pretty much a standard set for everyone who lived in Forks. She was a average height and build, but from the short distance Bella could tell she had a very curvy figure to compliment it.

The girl must've felt her staring, had to have felt her staring, and Bella felt a flush of mortification creep up her neck as the girl's head snapped towards her. It was like she'd known where Bella's eyes had landed, and their eyes connected for a second.

Her eyes were enough stop anyone in their tracks. Her eyes were the color of jades, and their were filled with something akin to amusement as they clashed gazes with Bella's own.

Bella quickly looked away, seeing the girl watching her from the corners of her eyes. She started pulling away, ready to forget that embarrassing moment and just bury herself in school. Maybe later she could talk to her, apologize for staring like such a creep.

She pulled into the school lot and parked with a loud sigh.

Unconsciously, her eyes scanned the lot and she felt a pinch of disappointment as she realized that Edward Cullen was still taken out of school. Had she seriously been that terrible of a table-mate? She seriously doubted it, and with a flush of anger she pushed any remainder of thoughts concerning him from her head.

The remainder of his siblings were staring at her with calculating gold eyes, but it went unnoticed to her as she was greeted at the first building by Angela and Eric.

* * *

**Eva**

* * *

I could feel a smile creeping onto my face as I watched the teenager girl flush with embarrassment, quickly pulling away with her truck roaring and coughing the rest of the way down the road.

I'd felt her energy, her ties to the supernatural. Maybe the girl didn't know it, but she was most definitely a magnet. Not uncommon for humans, there actually quite a few of them that just drew the supernatural in to them. They didn't necessarily mean to, but the subtle magic in their own veins tied them to the rest of us.

It'd be interesting to talk with her. I've never met a magnet in person before.

"Alright, ma'am, everything's been moved in," the head mover commented, he and other two men of his crew coming to stand before me at the porch. "Are you sure you don't want us to place the furniture for you? A lot of that stuff is a little heavy for one girl to move alone…"

I waved a hand, smiling. "It'll be fine. I'll get some help. You've all done a great job getting everything here so fast and in perfect condition."

"Thanks for the cookies and drinks, we sure do appreciate it," he said fondly, a boyish grin touching his face.

"Of course!" I said with a smile of my own. "No one comes into my care without being fed! I'd be putting my Aunt Gretel to shame if I didn't offer you anything."

The movers bid me a happy farewell, and I watched them leave from my place on the porch.

There was a distinct grumble of thunder coming from above, and soon enough a small downpour had started. I felt the electricity thrumming in the air, running shivers up my arms and down my spine. The active magic laid across the land of Forks and resounding area was very potent, especially for a nature-type witch like myself.

The forest, the rain, and the lightning had me perfectly captured in my element. I would have plenty of sources to draw from for my research, and for the upcoming trials I would be facing.

Finally, after taking in a lung full of fresh air, I walked into what was to be my new home. The furniture and boxes I'd brought with me were scattered along the small entryway, towering and cluttering. There was only a clear path to the bathroom behind the staircase, to the kitchen on my right, and to the living room on the left.

I placed my hands on my hips, looking at the daunting task before me. Or, what would've been daunting, if I were not my mother's child.

If I'd been normal.

Raising one gloved hand, I gave a soft wave and felt the air around me grow thicker and more alive with magic.

In that gesture, all the boxes and furniture snapped to attention. I weaved my way around boxes opening themselves, their contents whizzing through the house to find its proper place. My books shelves and desk neatly floated up the staircase without a sound, until landing in the study with a resounding thud.

Walking into the kitchen with my lemonade glass in hand, I watched as the cutlery sorted itself into its respective drawer. My aunt's old furniture and appliances were shifting around in turn, making room for the new items taking their forefront place.

I stood in the center of the kitchen as all the movement came to a stop, every last moving item finding home and halting. It was a jarring noise, leaving me left with an odd stillness.

_"Mrroww?"_

Spinning on my heel, I was face to face with a black cat. It had one brown right eye. The left was gone completely, left behind was a clear and neat scar were the eye had previously been.

"Hello, Prince," I said happily, reaching a hand out to my Aunt's old familiar.

He arched, purring loudly as he headbutted my palm. Sadly, I wouldn't ever be able to understand him, not like my Aunt had. As her familiar, they'd shared a special link. Linking with a familiar was serious business for a witch or wizard, as it drew all kinds of that animal to you. If you didn't live in the right kind of area, it wasn't a very good idea to do it.

_"He wants to thank you for having the place cleaned and giving it the respect it deserves,"_ a soft, feminine whisper of a voice floated through my head.

Glancing to the entryway, I watched a fluffy blond cat saunter into the room, jade eyes lit with pleasure.

"And just where have you been all morning, Berúthiel?" I accused, still petting Prince as she pranced into the room.

Through her mind's eye, I saw flashes of the neighborhood and pieces of the surrounding woods. Seems my companion had busied her morning familiarizing herself with the area, and also a little time tormenting the dog of a neighbor a few blocks away. She'd paraded herself stealthily across the top of the fence, much to the terrier's chagrin.

"Mischievous brat," I muttered.

She sat at the bottom of the bar stool, and Prince stopped purring. The two shared a long look and moment of silent conversation. Though I could understand Berúthiel, I couldn't hear her when she spoke with other cats. Our connection only allowed speech between the two of us.

Prince hopped off the bar stool, old whiskers twitching.

I could sense many more cats outside. It was Prince's time to go, and they were here to see him off. Truly, his name fit him. A lot of the cats in the town had looked up to him.

I knew he wouldn't be able to stay much longer. It was amazing he'd made it this long without my Aunt. The link between one of us and our familiar was a life link. Once one of us died, the familiar would slowly began to die as well.

Fondly, I watched the two escape out the cat door attached to the backdoor. Through the eyes of Berúthiel, I could see more images of the forest and an odd group of mismatched cats leading the Prince. He would pass with friends, and I supposed that was better than anything.

From what I'd known, my Aunt had died horribly and alone. Prince was lucky to last long enough to pass with his friends, despite the pain he felt without her.

I busied myself upstairs in the study. I could understand that it was the circle of life and inevitable considering the witch he'd been contracted to had died, but I had no desire to watch Prince pass away. It made me think too heavily about my own connection with Berúthiel, and how horrible it would be for one of us if the other passed.

I was quick to set out my books and candles and continue some more research.

Reaching into the inner pocket of my jacket, I produced a small vial, no bigger than the palm of my hand. Inside, a clear, yet silvery looking liquid swished around almost innocently.

My face pinched in disgust, but I pocketed it again. It'd been a painstaking task drawing it from my Aunt's body, but it had to be done. A matriarch had been murdered in cold blood, and, trust me, that wasn't an easy feat. My aunt was an old witch. She'd been one of the strongest people I'd ever known, aside from my father.

But, like me, she'd had an affinity to nature, and a contract with cats.

Living here in Forks, surrounded by both affinities almost constantly, she'd have been in prime and perfect condition for any sort of fight.

Even if it'd been with a vampire, of all creatures. Even a witch with a nature affinity knew how to tear apart a vampire and kill it. This wasn't an event that should've ended in her death, not someone as strong as she was. If it'd been a coven, I'd understood a bit more. But from the looks of it, and from the small amount venom I'd taken from her corpse, it'd been a single vampire and that in itself was extremely concerning.

Many of the witches and wizards on this side of the world were whispering of foul play. That someone had set my Aunt up.

Hands shaking, I looked away from the old runes I'd been studying as a heat flushed over my face. I could feel tears brimming on the surface of my eyes, and with a quiver of my lip the dam gave way. Hot tears spilled onto my cheeks, and I could hardly restraint the hiccups and sobs working their way up my throat.

_Damn it all, you crybaby._

I sunk down to the carpeted floor with a heartbroken sob, arms shaking as they wrapped around my midsection. I'd loved my Aunt, with every single ounce of my being. Every visit she'd just put me in awe. You'd have thought her strength would've gone to her head, but she was always down to Earth. She'd had one of the kindest hearts I'd ever encountered.

Most importantly, she'd been the family member that'd shown me the most kindness, my entire life.

There was a feline chirp of inquiry, before I felt a fuzzy little head pushing against my leg.

Berúthiel's smart eyes met my own pair, concern swimming in their depths.

"Just figure it out. Solve the death, and return home,." I quoted my father's words bitterly, running a shaking hand through my wild mane of hair.

My father's harsh words rang through my head like loud alarms. He never requested anything, not of me. My brother, yes, but not me. I hadn't shown much promise as a witch until only just recently. My powers, as a child, had been sparse and the embarrassment of the family. He wouldn't tell me as much, because he loved me despite his coldness. But I heard plenty through the gossip.

My brother had been the shining prodigy, producing fires and creating fairy lights before he'd even learned to walk. It was hard for me to hold a candle to him, especially considering he was a fire affinity wizard.

So, Thomas had gotten most of the attention growing up. It hadn't exactly been something he could help, but it definitely did get to his head. Showered with so much praise as a child had turned him into an insufferable adult.

Thomas was the one the High Coven usually used to help solve problems if they called upon any favors from our family.

But when Greta Jaeger unexpectedly died in the heart of Port Angeles under mysterious circumstances, my father had come to me. Me. Why? I'd been content living in my little cottage in the woods, just Berúthiel, myself, and the other cats that lingered near me. I had lived alone for three years, practicing my magic far away from the judging eyes of others.

But he'd come with his request, and now I had a job to do because I had no other choice.

_I just hope I won't suffer the same outcome as my poor Aunt._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

* * *

The two at my door were a little comical in their awkwardness.

Father and daughter, both looking embarrassed to be on my doorstep. Especially the girl, the magnet, after she'd been caught staring the other day. But, in her hands she held a homemade apple pie, still warm from the oven and the smell of baked apples and cinnamon was wafting straight to me like a slap in the face.

I hadn't eaten that morning, I'd woken up way too early and had gotten myself buried deep into my research of the area, and of vampires. The sound of my doorbell had been the only thing to finally ground me back into the present, and now that pie was making my stomach grumble something terrible.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you both," I grinned, touched by their kindness. "My name is Evangeline, but it's a bit of a mouthful for most people so please just call me Eva. Do you guys want to come in for some breakfast? Or... um.."

I reached into my pocket, pulling out a pocket watch and clicking it open to take a peek at the time. "Lunch, actually. I have some chicken noodle soup I put in the crock-pot this morning and I made a bit more than I'll be able to eat on my own..."

Truth was, I'd made extra for left overs, but I supposed it wouldn't hurt to make friends. My father had took over paying for my Aunt's house for me, and he was offering to keep paying for it if I wanted to stay here. I supposed even he didn't like that I'd shut myself off from everyone, but at the time, it'd been neccisary for my training. I'd been suffocating around my family, and my magic had been suffering even more from it.

So, all in all, it wouldn't hurt for me to get to know my neighbors some.

The father, Charlie Swan, straightened up some. I could tell with just a single look at him that he was a kind person. "Well... I don't have to go into the station until late today, so that would actually be very kind of you... Bells? You're not busy are you?"

The girl blushed a little, fumbling slightly with the pie. "Um, no, no I'm not. Lunch sounds great."

I couldn't help myself, I chuckled a little before I opened the door wide and gave an overly-grand gesture into my home. "Well, come on in. It's going to start raining again in an hour or so, so it'll be best to get you two fed and on the road before you have to travel through the rain. Plus, you'll get to help me dig into that pie!"

They both stepped in, curiosity nearly oozing off of them as they took in the condition of my home.

In just a weeks time, I'd started planting all the succulents and indoor plants I'd been able to get my hands on in Forks. It'd actually been my only reason for even leaving my home for the first time. I would've loved to get more of a variety, but that would've required a trip to Port Angeles or Seattle, neither of which I was prepared for.

"Wow..." Bella breathed, her hand gently caressing the points and leaves of one of the tiny pots of succulents I had resting on a end table at the entry way. The ivy hanging over the entryway brushed at the top of her head as she gently kicked off her sneakers. "It's like a garden in here."

My heart swelled with some pride. Not all nature witches were good at growing plants, funnily enough. Just because we could control them and use them with our magic, it didn't mean we all made good plant keepers. My aunt had taught me everything I new about taking care of all different kinds of plants.

"My Aunt Greta loved her plants," I murmured, sneaking around her so that I could take lead into the kitchen. "Luckily, I do, too. I just sort of rearranged her own plants to fit some of my own."

"I've killed every house plant I've ever tried to own, except a cactus," Charlie admitted, chuckling as he carefully untied his shoes. "I suppose I don't pay enough attention when I have them."

I lead the pair into the kitchen, having them sit at the dining table as I began to dig around in my fridge, confirming with the two of them that they both drank tea. I managed to capture the two in some small talk as I put a kettle on and started stirring the soup in the crock pot. All the chicken had cooked, but I had thrown in the egg noodles a little bit ago, so that they would cook but not turn to mush.

"Just a little longer," I concluded, setting my ladle aside and resealing the pot. "Noodles are still a little hard."

"So, Eva," Charlie started, and I gave him my attention while I was pouring some tea. "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? You seem quite young to be owning a home on your own..."

Bella also looked curious, brown eyes glancing over the details of the kitchen before drifting to my face. But I noticed that her eyes drifted to my hands, watching as they poured the tea into her mug. Her brows furrowed, and I realized that she had noticed that I was wearing gloves inside.

"I'm twenty-two," I told him, smiling, speaking loudly enough to draw Bella's attention back to my face. "I couldn't afford this house on my own. Aunt Greta left it to me, but all the utilities still need paying on. My father is taking care of them while I look for a job."

I sat down with them them at the table, after pouring them both a mug of tea.

We spoke quite casually for a few minutes, them telling me about Forks and me carefully trying to avoid telling them about where I'd lived previously, when the sounds of the cat flap caught their attention.

_"Mew?"_ Berúthiel strode through the kitchen, tail flitting back and forth, and hopped up into the seat next to mine.

I glanced at her, amused. "Well, it's about time you decided to show your face."

She purred, jade eyes looking content. She'd been exploring again, I knew. It was different for her, as well, to have neighbors and other houses near by. Before we'd lived deep, deep into the wilderness in Canada. Just her, myself, and some other cats. Now we both had much to adjust to, but Berúthiel seemed to be taking to it a lot better than I was, considering I had only left the house once.

"She's so pretty," Bella spoke softly, stretching out a hand as though to let Berúthiel sniff her.

Berúthiel went straight for the nudge, pushing her head against Bella's hand gently. Bella's face went soft, and she gently rubbed her cheeks and under her chin with her index finger.

"Her name is Berúthiel," I told her, watching as my familiar schmoozed up to the girl. "She's very spoiled."

Jade eyes narrowed at me, and Berúthiel made a point of looking me in the eyes as she crossed chairs until she was sitting in Bella's lap. Her purring increased ten-fold as both of Bella's hands began to gently stroke and pet through her soft blonde fur.

"You might want to reconsider the cat door," Charlie suggested with a chuckle, as he reached over to also give the blonde cat an affectionate scratch under the chin. "There have been a lot of strays around lately, wouldn't want one of them to beat up on this pretty girl here."

Berúthiel was practically inflating before my eyes, soaking up every ounce of praise and attention.

"She's a pretty sturdy cat for how beautiful she is," I told him assuredly, as I stood to start dishing up the soup. "She knows how to hold her own in a fight, and she's a good little escape artist. Besides, she loves exploring, I couldn't take that away from her."

I left out the part that the strays were my fault. As a holder of a contract with the cats, they were naturally drawn in to me. They could feel the magic and sense the contract. It was almost like a sign of protectiveness. They were extra eyes and ears, all they had to do was relay anything concerning to Berúthiel and she would tell me.

Berúthiel disappeared out of the kitchen once the human food was set out, but her gentle voice floated through my mind as she made her way out the door._ "We must speak, once the strangers are gone."_

I tried not to let that concern me as I continued entertaining my guests.

* * *

It was when the two were leaving that I made a small mistake. It was a very, very small one, that not many people would notice, but, just my luck, Bella was not normal and was a very perceptive human.

The two were putting on their shoes, getting ready to leave, and I was absentmindedly plucking some dead leaves off of the standing plant in the entryway.

I frowned, noticing that the plant had began to wilt slightly. It was one of my Aunt's, which hadn't received care for a while after she never returned home. I'd went around tending to her plants after I'd moved in, but I must've missed this one in all the chaos of moving in and studying.

I glanced over to the two in the doorway. Both were still bent over, tying their shoes. Charlie was still speaking, offering me to come out with him and Bella to the local diner the next morning.

I quickly removed my left glove. My hand went warm as I focused magic into my palm and the tips of my fingers, and I took one of the dying leaves within my hand before I whispered softly. _"Crescere."_

The plant shivered, and then straightened up as the wilting process began to regress. The dying stems and leaves perked up, and it flushed back into it's natural deep green.

It took a second, two tops. I was sure it'd been so quick it'd been imperceptible, even if one of them had looked up during it would've already been too quickly done for them to catch it.

Charlie and Bella were both facing me when my eyes turned back to them, the former still chatting away.

Bella, however, was looking at the plant within my hands, her eyes wide. She glanced at my face, noticing my stare, and she quickly looked away, a blush on her face as she realized I'd caught her watching me.

I quickly re-gloved my bare hand.

_Did she actually see that? She'd been turned around when I'd done the spell, how had she noticed?_

"I'd love to meet you guys at the diner," I chirped, a strained smile touching my face as a flash of worry bolted down my spine. "I love breakfast food."

Charlie grinned, busying himself with straightening out his uniform. "Well, great! Thank you for feeding us. I suppose we will see you tomorrow morning, then!"

I pulled out my pocket watch, gripping it almost painfully as I noticed the glances Bella kept giving me out of the corners of her eyes. She'd definitely noticed the plant restoring, but did she see me whisper to it, was the better question.

As they pulled out of my drive, I clicked the watch open. It was exactly an hour from the time I'd let them through my threshold, and just as they pulled away there was a grumble of thunder overhead as it started to rain.

I got the feeling this wouldn't be the last time I'd encounter issues with Bella, but part of me also wanted deeply to be her friend. She was a very nice girl, if not a little introverted. But I couldn't say much, from the moment I turned eighteen until now I'd lived alone in the woods.

Berúthiel purred at my feet, and I slowly shut the door so we could speak privately.

* * *

"You're positive?" I muttered, flipping through the tome in my hands near frantically.

_"They said it happens deep in the forest. Sometimes, very very far out from here. But they only hear of it through the grape vine of the animal kingdom. None of the felines have seen it first hand,"_ Berúthiel commented from her place at the window sill of the study, her jade eyes watching as the rain hit the window.

I ran a hand through my hair, tossing the tome onto the table with a frustrated huff. "Vegetarians... that's... unheard of."

_"Maybe they are not the ones we are looking for,"_ She said softly, turning to look over at me from her perch.

Vampires in the area. That was honestly the only two pieces of criteria for solving this murder. A vampire, or vampires, in this area, where my aunt died. But if they were vegetarian. If they were trying to live a life so differently from other vampires, then murding one made no sense. Unless Greta had found out what they were and that they lived near hear,then maybe they were worried she would reveal them?

"This makes no sense," I pinched the bridge of my nose.

I turned to look at the bookshelf, and I strode over to pluck a leather bound book from it's place. It was my Aunt's diary. It would've been the first thing I'd read in my attempt to discover her murderer, if it hadn't been written in a language I'd never seen before.

"I need to decipher this," I determined. "But I don't have a clue how."

Witches dealt with many languages. Latin, mostly, but also Greek and some other languages that were dead to the human race.

I'd done the first thing I could think of, and that'd been using human technology to type a passage into an online translator. It tried picking it up in several mistaken languages, but none of it came to make any sense.

I could attempt to use a spell to convert the words, but it would take a lot of time and energy. I'd have to siphon my magic through the book until it's entirety was translated, and that could take a whole week. I wasn't keen on weakening myself for such a long time period, nor was I positive it would work. Aunt Greta had been beyond clever, it wouldn't have been unlike her to also put magical wards on her diary.

_"I could bring it to the Mistress,"_ Berúthiel offered, and I felt her willingness to help through the bond.

I bit my lip, hands brushing the worn leather of the binding. Being apart from Berúthiel made me feel a little ill. We were usually not far apart from one another, but if she went to see the Mistress she would most likely be gone for at least a week, if not more.

"Let's hold off on that," I concluded. "If it comes to the point that it seems this diary is my only option, then we'll let you take it to her. I still haven't gone to Port Angeles to investigate the area."

Berúthiel nodded, letting out a soft purr of agreement.

I came to stand next to her at the window, resting my hand atop her head as we took a moment to watch the rain together.

* * *

To my surprise, the next morning, only Bella stood upon my doorstep when I'd come to answer the bell.

"Hey," she said awkwardly. "Uhm, Charlie, my dad, he got called into the station today. He felt bad about canceling, but I told him I'd still come and take you to eat. If you still wanted to go? He gave me enough money before he left to pay for us both."

I blinked for a moment, touched. I'd been fully planning on paying for myself when I went out with the Swan's. However, I realized now that I'd be left under the ever so watchful eyes of Bella, who had seen me preform magic. Or, whatever she believed I'd done to plant.

She was staring at it, I realized, when I noticed her eyes gazing past me and into the home. Overnight the plant had flourish even more, sprouting more stems and leaves and coming to a more full appearance. If she'd been paying as much attention as I believed she was, she had taken notice that plant had grown and looked much, much healthier than it had yesterday.

_Damn._

"Of course, I'll still go," I agreed, nodding to her. "Let me grab my coat and I'll be right out. Or, did you want to come inside to warm up?"

She glanced to me, back to the plant, and back to me again. She didn't look fearful, but more curious as she denied my offer and told me that she would start her truck back up and get the cab warm before I got outside.

I let out a long breath as I shut the door.

_"The girl is a magnet, is she not?"_ Berúthiel's voice came drifting through, and I looked around to find her peaking her head out at me from around the top banister of the stairs._ "It wouldn't be odd for her to be sensitive to magic. You may have disturbed her own small pool of magic when you used yours yesterday."_

I hadn't thought of that. I knew magnets had magic, but it was a very, very small amount. They couldn't become witches, nor could they normally tap into that magic. The magic within them was usually very old and watered down, after years of the original bloodline withering away through several generations of the witch or wizard marrying humans. If she was magic sensitive as well, it was possible she had a slightly larger magic pool than most magnets. That would usually indicate that she were still gifted somehow, even though it was such a small amount.

My head was spinning with thoughts as I quickly tossed on my coat and pulled on some boots, trying to remember everything I'd ever known about magnets. Little insignificant bits of information floated through, but I could remember much else other than what I could recall off the top of my head.

I'd wanted a one-on-one with the girl when I'd first noticed her, and now it seemed I would certainly be getting it.

I locked up my door after bidding Berúthiel a good-bye, and laid my hand against the door. I whispered the few words of a protection ward, hoping to all that was holy that Bella wasn't finding the behavior strange. I tried to disguise it as me needing to agjust my boot, holding myself up with a single barehand pressed against the cool wood of the door.

When I felt the familiar hum of magic, I quickly straightened up and pulled my glove on.

Bella was watching me as I opened the door to her large truck, and hefted myself inside with a little difficulty.

"Lord," I heaved, throwing myself onto the seat. "You do this everyday? What a beast of a vehicle."

She chuckled. "You get used to it after a while."

We were making our way to the diner a moment later, and I was happy to see that she was talking to me a little more than she had the day before. It took a little prying and pulling, but by the time we were in the diner and had ordered our food, we were chatting like we'd known each other for a long time.

"I'm sorry you felt like you had to move here," I told her gently, stirring the warm cup of coffee in my hands before taking a small sip. It warmed me from my fingertips town to the pit of my stomach, and the creamy vanilla flavor had me going in for another sip quickly. "That must've been a difficult decision to make."

She nodded, looking slightly down as she noticed that it'd began to rain again outside. "Everyone is really welcoming, don't get me wrong. I guess I just don't socialize very well with people my age."

I sympathized with her. I knew how it felt to feel uprooted from your home, even if it was of her own volition. It was still kind of her to put her mother's happiness over her own, even though it really shouldn't have had to be that way.

"You feel different from others," I noted, and she looked at me with a flicker of surprise. "Like they won't understand you if you try to get to know them."

"Yeah," she muttered, brows drawing. "I have a couple of friends, but we aren't really all that close."

"Any boys in town?" I teased gently, but I was surprised to see a deep blush rise to her cheeks.

"Yeah... he's hard to explain," she said finally, gazing into her cup with a glare about strong enough to wilt a flower. "He ignored me for a long time, although I hadn't done anything to him. He left school for a week and he's actually been talking to me lately. It hasn't really stopped him from being confusing, though..."

We fell into a silence. I knew nothing about relationships, and didn't have much advice I could give for the poor girl. I'd been home-schooled, both for normal schooling and for my magic. I had plenty of opportunities to be around others my age, but I'd been very undeveloped in my magic and to most that was an intense weakness and undesirable trait in a friend or family member.

I was something to be pitied, like an injured animal, not someone to befriend. I'd stopped trying to be involved with people the second I realized how different I was from the rest of them.

I took a long gulp of my coffee as I felt a familiar loneliness curling in the pit of my stomach, and I took note of Bella's eyes upon me. I noticed her eyes were drawn to my hands, which were still gloved. She'd noticed it the other day, as well, and it seemed to have caught her attention once more.

"Why do you wear those?" Bella blurted suddenly, and then looked properly embarrassed by her own outburst. "Sorry... I shouldn't ask-"

"I hurt myself," I stated, calmly.

She blinked in surprise. "H-how?"

I set down my almost empty coffee cup and slowly removed my gloves. I placed them next to me and held out my hands, palms facing upwards. Both were covered in burn scars, from the finger pads down to the heels of my palms. Ugly, discolored scars.

"I got burned a couple years ago," I explained, watched as she glanced over the scars with an empathetic sadness shadowing over her eyes. "It left my skin sensitive, and scarred. I wear the gloves to try and prevent more damage."

I obviously couldn't tell her that the burns were from unstable magic.

I'd been training, much to hard, with my magic when I first went into isolation. I was draining myself day after day trying to train, and when I'd attempted to preform a spell much too strong for my body, I'd gotten magical burns from my source of magic, which was my hands.

If I'd used a conduit, like a staff or wand, it'd have negated the burn and broken the conduit.

But I'd never been able to use a conduit for my magic. It only ever seemed to work through my lips and hands, and that was a big weakness for a witch. Many spells had somatic requirements, but that was usually negated by having a conduit. Waving a conduit was much quicker in battle.

I was so deep in my thought, remembering the event that'd taken place when I had burned my hands, that I'd not noticed Bella shifting until she was already reaching across the table.

"Bella, wait-"

My warning was much too late. Her fingertips touched my skin, and I felt her magic calling mine forth, and a zap of magic tingled through my arm attached to the hand that she'd grazed, and it suddenly bounced back at me with a staggering force.

I blinked, shocked. She'd repelled my magic. My magic had reacted sourly to her unexpected touch, and had attempted to push back at her own small source, like an involuntary show of dominance, only to get reflected the moment it reached her skin.

Bella undoubtedly felt the intrusion, because she'd instantly withdrawn her hand as though she'd been bitten, and was looking at me with wide eyes and a startled expression. "What was that?!"

I opened my mouth, closed it, and opened it again. My mouth felt dry as I realized I didn't have much of a way out of this. There was no way she'd believe me if I'd told her I'd just shocked her with static. "I..."

"Here we go gals!" the waitress swooped in, oblivious to the suddenly intensity between the two of us as she dished out our plates. "Do either of you ladies need more coffee?"

I gave my empty coffee mug a withered glance, stomach writhing and coiling uncomfortably as I felt the weight of Bella's gaze pressing down upon me.

"Yes, please. Double espresso this time."

* * *

He stirred.

Oddly enough, he stirred.

Caius glanced at him from the corners of his eyes, brows furrowing.

Aro hadn't taken much notice, continuing to address the offending vampire that was pinned between Felix and Santiago, both with one arm clutched in their grasps and their other hands planted firmly at the base of his shoulder blades. It was a common position used for execution, and the vampire had seemed to realize that his clock was ticking as he began sputtering fruitless excuses and promises into their face.

Marcus was usually the most still of the three, and usually the most disinterested in the trials. He'd grown into a solitary, lonely figure since the death of his companion many years ago. But he'd felt something in his sight of ties, and had began looking through his relationships to see what had changed. It took him a couple seconds of searching before he happened upon his thin tie that signified his professional friendship with Carlisle Cullen. It wasn't a tie to him that'd changed, it was a tie to one of Carlisle's coven.

His brows furrowed. Odd, as he usually didn't notice the newly formed bonds of others unless they directly affected him or anyone else that he held much closer to his heart.

It was a tie, of tie, of a tie. Connected to Carlisle was his son Edward, to Edward was a newly formed bond of someone he'd had yet to meet. This bond was weakly reaching out to the rest of the Cullen coven, as well, so it seemed to be someone new in their lives that they were coming to know. But tied to that one was another bond, and that was strange. He normally had to meet someone in person to know their ties, even if they were tethered to people he already knew.

It had began to morph from colorless to a soft hue of green, clinging to the new bond of the Cullen's in the telltale signs of a forming friendship.

"I can give you a witch!"

The whole room stopped, and Marcus drifted out of his sight to set his real gaze upon the pleading man.

"You cannot see them, within my mind. I had her and the rest of the existence of witches hidden in my memories, so that no intruder could peak in and see them," the vampire panted, gritting his teeth as the two vampires holding onto him tightened their grips. "When a witch is transformed by a vampire, many things can occur. Increased potential for strong powers being one of them. I know of a Wizard who is attempting to rid himself of his daughter... she is weak to them, but as one of us she may flourish."

Marcus looked to Aro, who had narrowed his eyes at the man.

It was true, witches were known to increase in power when transformed. One glance at Alec and Jane and their powers could tell anyone that. But it did tend to limit what magics they could use in order to amplify one aspect. They were still quite valuable after transformation, but people were not possessions to be traded. And the affairs of witches were not to be meddled in.

The Volturi had a pact with the High Coven, and the two only ever intersected when a dispute within the species took place. Just recently they'd been made aware that the High Coven had dispatched a witch the Olympic peninsula of the United States, to uncover the death of one of their strongest witches at the hands of a vampire.

Very few vampires would know of the existence of witches unless they came face to face with one, or had been one previously. They tried not to reveal this fact. Many vampires would try to use to aspect of strong, gifted vampires to gain more control over territories, or even of the Volturi themselves.

"Christofer Jaeger," the vampire fed them more information, seeing that he'd caught their interest. "He sends his only daughter by herself. He has vampires preparing to attack her in Washington, USA."

Aro tapped his finger against his lips in thought. He shared a look with Caius, and then turned to Marcus. He was surprised to find that Marcus was alert, and was staring down at the vampire with a hard set of eyes. He usually only turned to Marcus to save face, not actually for a response, but Marcus gave Aro the most minuscule of nods when he locked eyes with his brother.

"While we value your information, Lewis, we are afraid that we never offered you a trade," Aro spoke calmly, watching as the vampire resolved to struggling, shouting and spitting as he attempted to free himself. "And no amount of information can undo the harm you threatened to unleash upon the human world, along with our existence. Your immortal children are dead, and you shall join them."

Aro gave a small gesture, and it went quiet as the mans screams were cut short as his head was severed from between his shoulders.

"Unusual," Aro said aloud, pacing slightly as the guard went to work of burning the man and preparing to clean up his lingering remains once they were reduced to ash. "Witches turning on their own."

"He said she is weak," Caius commented dryly, not showing much interest. "You know those involved with the High Coven find themselves rather fixed with being powerful casters. If she is related to one above the bourgeois of their kind, then it's likely they're trying to get rid of her to save embarrassment."

"Barbaric," Marcus spoke softly.

Aro and Caius were looking at him as though he'd sprouted a second head.

"...Brother," Aro said slowly, carefully, as he extended out his hand. "May I?"

Marcus willingly clasped hands with Aro, looking lost in his thoughts. Aro could see his sadness, the one he could sympathize with the most. Aro knew that the death of Aro's sister, Didyme had done a number on his brother, a sadness he himself knew too well but did not let control him. That sadness that was normally there, but among it was an underlying concern. An odd concern for a witch he'd never even met before. It didn't make sense. Not for Marcus to suddenly snap from his own thoughts and listen to a trial, and it didn't make sense for him to actually voice an opinion, regardless of how short the comment.

Then he saw it. Marcus had been disturbed by the new bond he'd spotted, far within the ties all the way back to the Cullen Coven in Olympia.

Aro was mentally connecting dots, and he fought to try and hide his hope for what this could mean.

Without hesitation, he turned on his heal to look to his guard.

"Alec, Jane. I have a task for you, my dears."


End file.
